1578
Year 1578 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events of 1578 * January 31 - Battle of Gembloux: Spanish forces under Don John of Austria and Alexander Farnese defeat the Dutch. Alexander Farnese begins to recover control of the French-speaking Southern Netherlands. * April 27 - Duel of the Mignons claims the lives of two favorites of Henry III of France and two favourites of Henry I. * May 31 - Martin Frobisher sails from Harwich, England to Frobisher Bay, Canada, eventually to mine fool's gold, used to pave streets in London. : Battle at Ksar-el-Kebir.]] * August 4 - Battle of Al Kasr al Kebir - The Moors defeat the Portuguese. King Sebastian I of Portugal is defeated and killed in North Africa, leaving his elderly uncle, Cardinal Henry, as his heir. This initiates a succession crisis in Portugal. * October 1 - Alessandro Farnese succeeds Don John as Spanish Governor-General of the Netherlands. Undated *Martin Frobisher held the first celebration of Thanksgiving by Europeans in North America at Newfoundland by the Frobisher Expedition. *Tibet - Sonam Gyrso receives from prince Atlan Khan the title of "Talaï" and becomes the third Dalai Lama. *Battle of Wenden: The Russians are defeated by the Swedes, who proceed to take Polotsk. *The Ottoman Empire conquers Abkhazia. *Sixth and so far the last outbreak of the sweating sickness in England. *Emperor Sarsa Dengel of Ethiopia kills Bahr negus Yeshaq, finally ending his rebellion. Births * March 2 - George Sandys, English traveller (died 1644) * April 1 - William Harvey, English physician (died 1657) * April 14 - King Philip III of Spain (died 1621) * May 16 - Everard Digby, English conspirator (died 1606) * July 9 - Ferdinand II (died 1637) *August 5 - Charles de Luynes, first duke of Chaulnes (died 1621) * August 17 - Francesco Albani, Italian painter (died 1660) * November 1 - Dmitry Pozharsky, Russian prince (died 1642) * December 2 - Agostino Agazzari, Italian composer (died 1640) *''date unknown'' **Giambattista Andreini, Italian actor and playwright (died 1650) **Catharina Belgica of Nassau, regent of Hanau-Münzenberg (died 1648) **Yamada Arinaga, Japanese retainer of Shimazu clan (died 1668) **Benedetto Castelli, Italian scientist (died 1643) **Thomas Coventry, English lawyer (died 1640) **Robert Cushman, Plymouth Colony settler (died 1625) **Iwasa Matabei, Japanese painter (died 1650) **Samuel Jordan, American colonial legislator (died 1623) **Grzegorz IV Radziwiłł, Polish magnate (died 1613) **François Ravaillac, killer of Henry IV of France (died 1610) **Ambrose Rokewood, English Gunpowder Plot conspirator (died 1606) **Francis Manners (died 1632) **Horio Tadauji, Japanese daimyo (died 1604) : See also 1578 births. Deaths *February 5 - Giambattista Moroni, Italian painter (born 1510) *March 7 - Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox (born 1515) *March 29 - Arthur Champernowne, English admiral (born 1524) *March 29 - Louis I, French cardinal (born 1527) *April 14 - James Hepburn, consort of Mary I of Scotland (born 1535) *April 19 - Uesugi Kenshin, Japanese samurai and warlord (born 1530) *June 20 - Thomas Doughty, English explorer (executed) *August 4 **King Sebastian I of Portugal (born 1554) **Thomas Stucley, English adventurer (born 1525) **Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik I Saadi, King of Morocco **Abu Abdallah Mohammed II Saadi, King of Morocco *August 11 - Pedro Nunes, Portuguese mathematician (born 1502) *October 1 - Don John of Austria, military leader (born 1547) *''date unknown'' **Jane Lumley, English translator (born 1537) **Giulio Clovio, Italian painter (born 1498) **Cornelis Cort, Dutch engraver (born 1536) **Nicholas Heath, Archbishop of York and Lord Chancellor (born 1501) **Amago Katsuhisa, Japanese nobleman (born 1553) **Ikeda Katsumasa, Japanese military commander (born 1539) **Juraj Julije Klovic, Dalmatian painter (born 1498) **Pierre Lescot, French architect (born 1510) : See also 1578 deaths.